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Exeter triple-killings trial verdict

The student had only been in Exeter for five days when he carried out the burglary at around midnight on September 21 this year. She returned to her room at 2.30 am to find it had been broken into.

Fowler, aged 41, originally from Honiton but now of no fixed abode, admitted burglary and was jailed for two years and five months by Judge Peter Johnson at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: "You have never met the young lady who was the victim of your latest burglary. You had been released from prison and had a problem with drugs. In order to find that, you burgled this accommodation.

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"She had just started her university life in Exeter and you ruined her first few weeks and caused her to consider whether to stay here or return home. Happily, she chose to continue her studies but this will be at the back of her mind for a long time.

"You should know that because you have committed many burglaries over the years, including many at student accommodation. You are what is called a three strike burglar, although you have committed many more than that."

His sentence represented the mandatory minimum for a third strike burglar of three years, less the 20 per cent deduction for a guilty plea that is set down by law.

Mr Rob Yates, prosecuting, said the burglary took place when the student was out with friends and Fowler reached though the window. He left a fingerprint on the window and was seen on CCTV in a distinctive coat in the area at the time of the raid.

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The student made a Victim Impact Statement which said: "I am devastated that someone went into my room and stole my property. My personal space has been violated. At first I wanted to go home.

"I no longer feel safe in the halls of residence but with the support of my family and friends I have been able to move on. I had just bought the laptop to help with my studies and the iPad had irreplaceable photos on it."

Mr Barry White, defending, said Fowler had spent so much of his adult life in jail that he was institutionalised and unable to cope when on the outside.

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He had been free for several months and stayed initially at a Christian outreach project in Abertillery, South Wales, but left because he could not cope with its religious emphasis.

He drifted to Exeter via Bristol but reacted to being street homeless by taking drugs, which affected his mental health.

He said:"What he needs is a drug rehabilitation order with intensive supervision but he is not eligible for that because he has no address. This is not so much a plea of mitigation as a howl of despair."